International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Reducing the amount of salt and bananas women eat during pregnancy could increase their chances of giving birth to a girl, according to a new study.

The right combination of food types, as well as the timing of sex, are key factors which determine the gender of a baby, according to the study by researchers from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, reports the UK Mail.

Calcium and magnesium-rich foods increase the chances of conceiving a girl, the study found.

These include hard cheese, rhubarb, spinach and tofu.

Women should avoid eating sodium and potassium-rich foods in order to have a girl.

Couples who have regular sex but not on days immediately before or after ovulation also increase their chances of having a girl, the scientists found.

They conducted a five-year study involving 172 European women aged between 23 and 42 who all had boys and wanted to conceive a girl.

"The results show that both diet and timing methods increase the probability of a girl - the impact of the diet being the most pronounced," said a spokesperson for the scientists.

Posted by David Smith